Katy Perry will receive a major award of her career tonight at the MTV VMAs: the Video Vanguard Award. The singer chose a red carpet look that reflected the importance of the moment: a shredded white bralette with a matching low-cut skirt. Perry arrived with her fiancé Orlando Bloom and they kissed in front of the photographers.
She has a (probably temporary) QR code tattoo on her back. It leads to a website for her new album 143.
Perry will perform at tonight’s show to accept the award. She is also nominated for the VMAs Most Iconic Performance Award for “Roar.”
Perry recently spoke about Call her daddy about how she got into music. She never imagined she would become a famous pop star.
“I mean, fame never crossed my mind,” she said. “I think it’s a byproduct of everything that everyone is successful at. I just wanted to be seen, period. End of story. And I discovered my magic trick when I was nine. I started singing, and then the room froze. And so I thought, oh, that’s interesting. And then I liked it. And it just calmed me down. It healed me. My mom called me Bird from a young age because I sang myself to sleep as a little kid. Then I picked up the guitar at 13. I started singing in church at nine. I started writing my own songs at 13. I recorded a gospel record at 16. And so I always wanted to be on stage. My dad was a minister and was on some stage, so I always watched that. I had a little example of that. My big break came at 23, but before that I was in LA at 17. I was broke. I had no pot to pee in and no window to throw it out of. That’s what my southern dad would say, anyway.
“But I pushed myself and kept saying, yes, I can,” she continued. “I’ll be there. I’ll step in. Get me in, coach. It’s been a tough battle. Two of my cars have been repossessed. I’ve been signed and dropped by three different labels. People may only know me for Teenage dream and the whirlwind and success of it and the accolades (but that’s not the whole story).”
Alyssa Bailey is senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees celebrity and royal coverage (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). Previously, she worked at InStyle And Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she enjoys running around Central Park, having people take #ootd photos of her, and exploring New York City.
